Gasparilla International Film Festival Reels in Heavy Hitters for Third Annual Event

Gasparilla International Film Festival Reels in Heavy Hitters for Third Annual Event

The Festival Will Offer A-List, Award Winning Feature Films and Shorts During 10 Day Film Fest

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Well respected names like Rod Lurie, Oren Koules, and Brian Goodman will add style and grace to this three-year-old festival. The Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) will kick off opening night with Nothing But The Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett and Alan Alda. The festival will also present a lifetime achievement award to veteran actress Terry Moore. The opening night screening and award ceremony will take place at The Tampa Theatre on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 7:30pm.

Incumbent President Chad Moore, an attorney with KnopikVarnerMoore said, "Doubling in size this year to a 10-day festival was risky with the economy, but we have the people, community, and the desire to do what we do best -- line up wonderful films with global reach and create reasons for people to get out and have a good time."

The festival lined up some amazing films, many of which will be Florida premieres. Some of the featured films include Misconceptions featuring A. J. Cook, Orlando Jones, David Moscow and Sarah Carter; What Doesn't Kill You featuring Ethan Hawke and Brian Goodman; Kassim the Dream; and II Divo. GIFF will also host the first public screening of the Steam Experiment starring Val Kilmer, Armand Assante and St. Petersburg native, Megan Brown.

The 2009 Gasparilla International Film Festival Red Carpet Opening night will take place at Tampa's historic Tampa Theatre on Thursday, February 26th and will end on Saturday, March 7th at The Tampa Firefighters Museum. To get full details on all films and view trailers and buy tickets, visit the festival's website at www.gasparillafilmfestival.com.

About the Gasparilla International Film Festival:

GIFF, Tampa Bay's largest independent film festival, is operated by the Tampa Film Institute, a 501c3 organization dedicated to advancing film education and community involvement in film. The film festival made its debut in 2007; and has become Tampa Bay's largest independent film festival, hosting close to 3,000 participants. The event attracts a variety of film and media related professionals; in addition to film lovers looking to network and learn more about film. To learn more about the festival, visit www.gasparillafilmfestival.com or call 813-514-9962.

Source: Gasparilla International Film Festival

CONTACT: Keisha Pickett, +1-813-903-9247, Keisha@pickettpr.com, for
Gasparilla International Film Festival

Web site: http://www.gasparillafilmfestival.com/

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